Shimmering Chaos (Enchanted Chaos Series )

by Jessica Sorensen

  “Sky,” he whispers. “When I felt how scared you were when you were put in that room … and I couldn’t find you … I just … Dammit.” He tenses.

  My eyes pop open—I hadn’t even been aware I closed them—as he pushes away from me and glares at something over my shoulder.

  When I twist around, Easton is leaning against the doorframe with his arms crossed and a weird, uneasy look on his face.

  “I hate to break up this little moment—and yes, that’s sarcasm—because good gods, you two need to fuck before the rest of us spontaneously combust from your sexual tension.” He grins but it looks a bit forced.

  I wonder why? If it has something to do with my powers altering the link? Is it making him feel uneasy inside?

  Blinking a few times, Easton focuses on Foster. “Mom’s about to send a message through a secured magical signal and wants you guys to be present for it.”

  I angle my head to the side. “What’s a secured magical signal?”

  “It’s …” Foster starts then pauses. “Well, it’s easier to see it than try to explain it.”

  Okay, now I’m a bit curious. “For how long is your mom going to be gone?”

  “We’re not sure yet,” Foster says. “And actually, everyone is gone right now. You, Easton, and me are the only ones here.”

  “Porter, Hunter, and Max left already?” I ask.

  He nods, his face a mask of guardedness. “Right after they dropped you off, they got called on a job. So did Holden.”

  Why do I get the feeling he’s lying to me? Maybe he is. Maybe Max, Hunter, Holden, and Porter took off because they couldn’t stand being around me while my powers are flowing down the link. Perhaps Foster is just trying to spare my feelings. It’d make sense since Porter and Hunter seemed to struggle with being near me while we were in the car.

  “Where are your parents?” I ask, scratching at my arm.

  “On missions,” Foster says. “Well, my dad is on a personal mission in Shimmerland, the world of faeries. He’s looking for some faerie dust so he can concoct a potion that’ll hopefully erase Kash’s memory.”

  “So he won’t remember what we are?”

  “Yep,” Easton is the one to answer. “And then we can kick his ass out of the house.”

  “He was really quiet when I walked by the room just barely,” I tell them. “I thought maybe he was gone.”

  “Nah, he’s still there. He probably just screamed himself to sleep,” Easton explains. “Thank the gods. He screams are more high-pitched than a whining unicorn.”

  My jaw drops. “Unicorns exist.”

  “They do.” Easton smirks at me. “Maybe if you’re really nice to me, I’ll show you one someday.”

  Foster’s brows crinkle as he glances at Easton.

  Easton hastily clears his throat, his flirty smile vanishing. “Just an FYI. Everyone’s going to be gone for a few days,” he tells no one in particular.

  Foster stares him down for a moment before slipping his fingers through mine. “When is Mom sending the message?”

  Easton glances at our twined fingers then at his watch. “In like three seconds—”

  Poof.

  A lavender cloud of smoke puffs up in the center of the kitchen, hovering just above the kitchen island and taking the form of Emaline.

  “Oh, good. You’re all here.” Her cloudy eyes glance at the three of us then settle on me. “I just wanted to check in and see how everyone’s doing, especially you, Sky. I heard what happened, and I feel awful. After we spent so much time assuring you that everything would be all right, this happens. Plus, that whole ordeal with darkness …” She shakes her head. “We’re currently working on finding out if the darkness in that room can send messages to the outside world. But I promise that you’re safe with Easton and Foster. They won’t let anything happen to you. I don’t want you to be afraid.”

  “I’m fine,” I try to reassure her, even though I’m not sure I am

  She gapes at me in disbelief, smoke twirling around her. “I want to talk more about it when I get back, but right now, I wanted to let you know that nothing like that will happen again. If you go back to that school, we’ll make sure no one harms you again.” She waits for me to nod then directs her attention to Foster and Easton.

  “I wanted to let you two know that, as of this morning, the council has gone silent. Between that and what happened at the school, you’re all on high alert until we find out more about what’s going on. You are to be guarded by protection spells at all times and, for now, you’re just going to have to hang out in the house.”

  “No one knows what the silence from the council is over?” Easton asks, resting his arms on the counter.

  She shakes her head, her hair moving like wisps behind her. “Your father’s looking into it. I’m still working on … something else.”

  Her vagueness sends warning flags popping up everywhere.

  She’s being discreet, but about what?

  “Look, I have to go. I’m in the middle of something really important, but I’ll check in tomorrow morning.” Apprehension floods her features as she gives a pressing look at her sons. “If anything happens, you know what to do.”

  Easton and Foster nod, and then just as quickly as she materialized, she evaporates into a cloud of smoke.

  “That was … weird,” I state, staring at the traces of smoke lingering in the air. “And, why did she seem so worried about the council going quiet?”

  Foster shares a troubled look with Easton then turns to me. “Because the last time they went quiet and didn’t communicate with anyone was when the gods and goddesses died.”

  A nagging pain starts to prod at my chest. “Do you think someone else has died?”

  “I really have no idea,” he says.

  So then, why does he look so worried?

  Everyone remains fairly quiet after that.

  Eventually, I make myself something to eat then head back to bed to get some rest. Even though I’ve been sleeping for most of the day, I feel drained. When I tell Foster this, he explains that being in the room of darkness drained a lot of my energy. But he assures me that, with how powerful I am, I should feel replenished in the morning after a full night’s rest. The problem is, I’m terrified to go to sleep, that darkness will visit me in my nightmares.

  “Are you okay?” Foster asks as we stop in front of my bedroom door. “You’ve been really quiet since my mom sent her message.”

  “I don’t know,” I answer honestly. “It just feels like you guys are keeping some stuff from me. Not that I blame you. I know you don’t know me very well. But it’s weird feeling like such an outsider all the time.”

  “It’s not that.” He folds his arms across his chest and shifts his weight. “We just don’t talk a lot about the missions my parents go on. At least, not the full details. It’s not allowed.”

  “Oh, okay.” I turn to go into my room, unsure if I’m buying what he said.

  As soon as my gaze lands on the darkness covering the sky outside my window, I pause.

  Foster moves up behind me. “What is it?”

  “It’s nothing.” I give a shrug. “I’m just nervous about going to sleep and maybe having nightmares about darkness.” I feel like a wimp. “It says such creepy-ass things to me. And the images I saw in the room …”

  Seriously, though, where is my badassery? I need to get over this. So, maybe my mom and dad did leave me? Who cares? I should be tougher than this. And it’s not like I haven’t been on my own before. Still, knowing they maybe just me left hurts like a bitch.

  “Can I ask you something? It’s about the room of darkness and whether the stuff it showed me was real.”

  Foster hesitates. “Darkness has the ability to read creature’s fears, so what it showed you may have held a bit of truth, but it’s also spun with a web of exaggeration, if that makes sense.”

  I wrap my arms around myself. “It showed my parents leaving me.”

  “Even if that
held any truth to it, it’s your parents’ loss. Not yours.” He loops his arms around my waist, his movements a bit fumbling, revealing he’s nervousness. “You’re an amazing creature, and anyone who gets you in their life is very lucky. We all knew that from the moment we met you. You were nice, even though we were acting like assholes. And then you said a few smartass remarks and that made us like you even more.”

  “It sure didn’t seem like you guys liked me.”

  “Trust me; we’re good at wearing masks, but the link doesn’t lie.”

  “The link is broken right now,” I remind him.

  “No, it’s not. It’s just… altered and working differently.”

  Am I pathetic for liking what he said about them liking me? Is it bad to want to be part of someone else’s life and for them to want you to be?

  “Do you want me to lie beside you while you fall asleep?” he asks with a nervous edge in his tone. “I can help you try to control the nightmares. My mom used to do it for me when I was little. It helped sometimes.”

  When I was younger, I used to have nightmares. My mom and dad would always get mad at me when I tried to sneak into their room and sleep on the floor. I used to wished that someone would comfort me or at least tell me everything will be okay. Maybe even give me a hug.

  Whether it makes me weak or not, I nod. “Yeah, okay. That sounds …” Wonderful, I want to say, but then I mentally kick my own ass and settle on, “good.”

  “Are you sure …? You sound hesitant.”

  I nod. “Yep, I’m sure.” I think.

  He moves back. “I’ll give you a couple of minutes to change.”

  Nodding, I step into my room and shut the door. Then I put on a pair of plaid pajama shorts and a tank top, pull my hair into a messy bun, and grab my phone to text Nina and Gage, deciding I need some BFF time after the crappy day I’ve had.

  Me: So, maybe they’re not as bad as I thought …

  Nina: Ha! I knew you’d fall for one of them? The question is: which one?

  Me: None. I just decided they’re not as bad as I thought.

  Nina: Liar. I bet it’s the one from the parking lot, right?

  Gage: The one who treated her like shit?

  Me: I didn’t fall for any of them … But Foster, the guy from the parking lot, he’s not as bad anymore. In fact, he’s pretty nice.

  Nina: Blah. Nice is sooo boring.

  Gage: You only think that because you love drama.

  Nina: Ha! Like you don’t.

  Gage: Whatever. You’re way worse than me.

  Me: Both of you are terrible if you ask me.

  Nina: Whatever. You both suck. Just kidding. I love you guys.

  Me: I love you guys, too. I mean that. I really do.

  Gage: Okay, now you got me worried. What’s up with the mushiness?

  Me: It’s nothing. I just had a rough day.

  A rough day where I realized that, before I moved here, the two of them were the only stable people in my life. Not that they’re stable in the head or anything like that. But, as friends, they’ve been pretty solid.

  Nina: You want us to come visit? You seem sad. And while we’re there, we can see for ourselves if this Foster dude is really worthy of you.

  I wish I could see them, wish it was okay, but with everything going on and us being on lockdown, it’s safer if they’re not around.

  Me: I have school for the next couple of weeks, but we for sure need to get together soon and hang out.

  But I have to wonder if I’ll be able to or if, the deeper I fall into this world, the more distance I’ll have to put between us.

  I don’t have too much time to stress out over those questions, though, because someone knocks on the door. I send Nina and Gage a quick text saying I have to go then put my phone away, get up, and answer the door.

  Foster is standing on the other side, and his gaze skims up and down me as he enters my bedroom. “You ready for bed?”

  “Nah, I just put on my pajamas for fun,” I joke. “Thought I’d make a new fashion statement. In fact, I think I should wear this to school.”

  “Such a smartass.” Shaking his head and suppressing a grin, he crosses the room and flops down on the bed.

  He’s wearing a pair of plaid pajama bottoms and a black T-shirt, but as he tucks his arms behind his head, his shirt rides up and I get a glimpse of his lean abs. Then I roll my eyes at myself for gawking at him and lie down beside him, keeping a bit of distance between us, despite how much I want to snuggle up with him and feel at ease. It would be a stupid move, and I’d be stupid for doing it.

  “You want the lights on or off?” Foster asks, rotating onto his side.

  I also roll onto my side to face him. “Can we keep the lamp on?”

  He nods then scoots closer, tracing his hand up and down my arm.

  Up …

  And down …

  Why is he really here? What does he really want from me?

  Finally, the unknown becomes too much. Later, I might blame what I say next on exhaustion, but right now, I’m too tired to care.

  “Do you really like me?” I ask the question that’s been bugging me since I found out what it really means to be an elemental enchanter. “Or are you just acting this way because of what I am?” I mentally roll my eyes at myself. Did I seriously just ask him if he liked me, like we’re in grade school or something?

  His gaze relentlessly burns into mine. “I swear I’m not here with you just because of what you are.”

  I’m unsure if I believe him or not, but decide to just let it be for right now because I’m fucking tired. How, though, who the heck knows, since I’ve been sleeping almost the entire day.

  Silence fills the room, but even though I’m exhausted, I can’t seem to doze off.

  “What was it like growing up knowing what you are?” I ask when the silence starts to drive me crazy. “Did you always attend the same school? Did you always live here?”

  “I’ve always lived and gone to school here. Porter, Max, Holden, and Hunter were all born in Elemental, though, before the gods and goddesses started to die. But when that happened, my parents decided to move here. They didn’t want to raise their family in a dying world that was plagued by darkness. As for what it was like growing up knowing what I am, it actually sucked. Not because I had powers, but because of the powers I had and knowing I was more than likely going to live a lonely life and would always have a target on my back.” He shifts closer to me. “My parents and brothers have been great and everything, but it’d be nice to just once be able to live my life how I want, without having to worry about what I’m feeling inside. I also sometimes wish I could travel the worlds; just pack up and go, doing whatever I want. I might one day if I can figure out a better way to hide my identity.”

  “My friends and I had that plan, too—to travel after we graduated. Unfortunately, I’m starting to wonder if that’s going to happen. But I’m not even sure if it ever would’ve happened. Even though my friends and I are close, I still always have to put up this wall between us, and that makes spending every waking moment with them complicated.”

  Reluctance currents off him. “If you want, you and I can find a way to hide our identities and travel the worlds together. We can just take off, see the worlds, live in different cultures.”

  Could I do that? Do I want to do that? What about my plan with Nina and Gage?

  But everything is so different now. Knowing what I know—that my existence could put them in danger—I’m not sure I could be around them all the time.

  “That sounds nice, actually,” I admit, but I feel a bit guilty for bailing on my friends.

  What world do I really belong in?

  Who am I really?

  Will I ever have the answers?

  “Good.” He sounds happy about the fact. “Then I’ll get working on making it happen.”

  With that, sleep begs me to give in, and I surrender. But, as I begin to doze off, I feel his lips brush my forehead as h
e softly whispers, “One day, beautiful girl, I’ll prove to you that I liked you way before you liked me. Then you won’t have to worry about that anymore.”

  I want to ask him how and reprimand him for calling me beautiful, but sleep gets the best of me and, seconds later, I drift off to dreamland.

  Chapter 10

  I’m floating in a bolt of lightning with a crown on my head and an abundance of power is channeling through me. The Everettsons brothers are with me, bowing at my feet. Well, all of them are except for Porter. No, strangely, I’m sitting in his lap and he’s kissing my neck.

  No, not kissing… sucking… on my flesh? No… he’s sucking on something else… something buzzing inside me. It feels amazing. Really, really good—

  My eyes pop open, my mind racing along with my pulse. And I swear I can still feel the amazing sensations I felt while Porter was sucking on my neck.

  I shake my head as I work to get my breathing under control. What a weird ass dream? But I guess it was better than dreaming of darkness.

  But what was Porter even doing to me? Who the hell knows. And it was just a dream, right, so why does it matter?

  I let out a yawn and stretch my arms above my head. Then I move to roll out of bed, only to end up rolling straight into Foster.

  He grunts as my knee collides with his gut.

  “Sorry,” I sputter. How in the hell did we end up so close with my leg thrown over his and our heads inches apart?

  “It’s fine,” he assures me, rubbing the spot on his stomach where I kneed him. “I’m just glad you slept okay. Or I’m assuming you did since I didn’t sense you wake up at all during the night.”

  “Yeah, I slept great.” As images of my dream creep into my mind, heat rushes to my cheeks. Foster notices, his brows dipping, and my embarrassment increases. Please don’t let him be able to feel what I’m feeling down the link, that his brother turned me on in my dreams. “How did you know I slept all through the night, though? Unless you were awake all night, watching me sleep?” I ask with teasing accusation.

  He assesses my blushing face, the crease between his brow deepening. “Maybe I was.” He pauses, then gives me a quick kiss on the cheek and climbs out of bed.